The Hindu : National : Violence rocks Siliguri, Army alerted

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Violence rocks Siliguri, Army alerted

Marcus Dam

Two groups battle it out on the streets; Buddhadeb appeals for peace; Gopalkrishna Gandhi expresses concern

KOLKATA: The Army was alerted and jawans of the Sashastra Seema Bal patrolled the streets of Siliguri and its adjoining areas in West Bengal on Thursday following clashes between those for and against the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha’s (GJM) demand for a separate State, comprising the Darjeeling hills and some areas contiguous to it.

The trouble occurred on the first day of a two-day bandh called by “Amra Bangali” and other organisations in protest against the GJM’s call for an indefinite bandh to highlight its statehood demand that began on Tuesday but was relaxed for 60 hours on Wednesday evening.

Violence that threatened to snowball into an ethnic conflict erupted in different parts of Siliguri as people belonging to the two groups hurled brickbats at each other. Some were armed with cleavers and swords.

The police burst teargas shells and resorted to baton-charges to disperse the troublemakers. Some policemen, including an officer, were injured in the disturbances.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC were imposed in parts of Siliguri as well as in Malabazar in the Dooars where trouble broke out and vehicles carrying tourists attacked allegedly by GJM supporters.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, in a statement, said: “events in the Darjeeling district and Siliguri town over the last few days are a matter of great anxiety…It is essential that leaders of public opinion and civil society should strive to maintain communal harmony evens the administration performs its duties for maintaining law and order.”

Expressing concern over the developments, Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said: “I am appealing to all political parties and residents of Siliguri and the adjoining areas to maintain peace and communal harmony and not be provoked into violence.”

The Chief Minister has convened an all-party meeting here on June 17 to discuss the situation.

Though Mr. Bhattacharjee said earlier in the day that the Army would be asked to move into Siliguri and its adjoining areas, Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakravaraty said late in the afternoon that the move was put on hold following an improvement in the situation. The Army had, however, been alerted.

GJM chief’s charge

Speaking to The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling, GJM president Bimal Gurung accused the government of colluding with the organisations who “have the backing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and had called the bandh in Siliguri “to create a communal war” in the region. “The State government is turning the hill areas and Siliguri into another Nandigram,” he said.

Asked whether the GJM would be represented at the meeting, he said he had received no invitation. “We are willing to hold talks with the State government and the Centre on our demand for Gorkhaland.”

Biman Bose, chairman of the Left Front Committee and secretary of the CPI(M)’s State Committee, deplored “attempts” by the GJM and some organisations to push the situation towards one of confrontation, and called for immediate cessation of violence in the hills and plains. “Bengal cannot be divided any further”, he said.

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